Cost of living comparison

compared to

Havana vs. P'yongyang Cost of Living Summary

Havana is 46.3% more expensive than P'yongyang.

Restaurants
pay 49.1% less in Havana
Groceries
pay 68.9% more in Havana
Housing
pay 2.6 times more in Havana
Entertainment and Sports
pay 69.4% less in Havana

The cost of housing and groceries in Havana are more expensive than in P'yongyang. Expenses including entertainment and sports and restaurants are lower in Havana. Notably, housing is significantly more expensive in Havana.

Havana vs. P'yongyang Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Havana instead of P'yongyang, you would:

pay 49.1% less for restaurants

 
P'yongyang
Havana
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $4.81
KPW4,327
$3.71
CUC3.71
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$21.26
KPW19,136
$5.00
CUC5.00
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $2.21
KPW1,985
$1.70
CUC1.70

Improve prices ·

pay 68.9% more for groceries

 
P'yongyang
Havana
Bread
1 loaf
$2.30
KPW2,071
$1.49
CUC1.49
Local cheese (8 oz) ?? $2.22
CUC2.22
Milk (1 gallon) $3.55
KPW3,195
$14.20
CUC14.20

Improve prices ·

pay (unknown) more for transportation

 
P'yongyang
Havana
Gasoline (1 gallon) ?? $4.83
CUC4.83
Monthly public transit pass ?? $22.50
CUC22.50
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) ?? $60,000.00
CUC60,000.00

Improve prices ·

pay 2.6 times more for housing

 
P'yongyang
Havana
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
?? $90.21
CUC90.21
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $89.58
KPW80,621
$254.03
CUC254.03
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $89.58
KPW80,621
$214.40
CUC214.40

Improve prices ·

pay (unknown) more for childcare

 
P'yongyang
Havana
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly ?? $112.00
CUC112.00
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters ?? $7,000.00
CUC7,000.00

Improve prices ·

pay 69.4% less for entertainment and sports

 
P'yongyang
Havana
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $13.44
KPW12,093
$1.60
CUC1.60
Cappuccino in mid-range area $1.12
KPW1,008
$1.11
CUC1.11
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
?? $2.00
CUC2.00

Improve prices ·

pay (unknown) more for clothing

 
P'yongyang
Havana
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
?? $37.00
CUC37.00
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
?? $37.00
CUC37.00
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
?? $68.67
CUC68.67

Improve prices ·

We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this

Share this

Compare countries by overall cost of living

See the cost of living in North Korea vs. Cuba. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within North Korea and Cuba.

Help us improve these prices

MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate. Learn more

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Havana or P'yongyang. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.